Monday, April 23, 2012

Ruby red/rednesday: Knitting 2

 



This is a Facebook conversation between My friend Megan and me last Saturday. You may remember Mega from my STURDY post. She said she was knitting a baby blanket for a Sands baby. This is what transpired.
Ann Chin
  • Megan, you inspired me, I walked to my neighbourhood craft store to buy wool to knit a blanket. even bought needles because I am to lazy to look for my old needles. They cost me $5.
    How many stitches did you cast on? How big will it be,
  • Megan Lee
    Saturday
    Megan Lee
    • I cast on 100, and will just keep knitting until it looks big enough. Then I want to buy a darker shade of pink to border it with. I might need to buy a smaller crochet hook though, as the one I have is about a 4 or 5 I think. Too big. I need a delicate one for the border.
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • so you crochet? I am going to knit. The girl in the shop says 40 is enough, I will do 60, and it might become a rectangle. It felt funny when I couldn't tell her who I was thinking for. I asked her how many balls I needed. I said, premature baby, then she ask if baby is born, I said not yet. First time in the shop, I don't want to tell her. She said Good luck. I mean how do you tell her that I am knitting for a dead baby I don't know?
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • I bought mine lemon, I did cast 70, looks like it is quite small. Lemon is unisex, can be for a boy or a girl. Nice soft color. The girl in the shop says it is cotton, so they can wash it in the machine. I was thinking, a dead baby's mum doesn't have to wash the blanket.
  • Megan Lee
    Saturday
    Megan Lee
    • Fair enough. Mine is pink with a darker shade for the border. I don't want to do blue, because that's too close to home for me right now. Pink is good. I might keep making them. Just to keep my hands busy.
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • I got it unisex. The funny thing was the girl kept saying it is cotton. very comfy for the baby and will wash nicely. Ah!!!!!!
  • Megan Lee
    Saturday
    Megan Lee
    • Cotton is good. I knit, and I crochet, the blanket I am making is both. Knit body, with crochet border.
    • I'm using acrylic, cos it's easy to wash.
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • I can't remember one day, I was talking about my knitting experience including a man, we talked about how we have to hold our our hands out to hold the wool, so grandma could roll the wool into a ball.
  • Megan Lee
    Saturday
    Megan Lee
    • I remember doing that for my nana. I learned to knit sitting at her knee.
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • when I grew up, I knitted straight from the ball from the shop, always wonder why we needed to do that except good family bonding time.
  • Megan Lee
    Saturday
    Megan Lee
    • I never figured that out either. I know Nan used to use the time to find out how we were doing, if we had any problems we needed to talk about, that sort of thing.
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • now you can do it with your kids. OK, I finished casting on, Chinese style., 70 stitches because, I wasn't sure how many stitches I need, and too stingy on removing the rest,
  • Megan Lee
    Saturday
    Megan Lee
    • How do you cast on, Chinese style?
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • This is for knitting, put 2 needles together, on the left hand, and then on the right fingers, you cast, hard to explain. I should have done a video. This is better than the European way, the first row is then loose and not tight. I know both methods. I chose the best.
    • May be I will ask my son to video it.
    • Megan, something very strange/ odd. You know how you say you wanted it pink so it s not close to home? I bought mine lemon, so it is unisex.
    • Guess what, the day Andrew went to the autopsy, he was wearing someone's knitted jacket. It was lemon!!!!! I didn't buy something for him, and the girl next to his cubicle who was abandoned by her mum, had a  couple of knitted jackets. When she outgrew it, (her head), the mum told the nurses, another baby could wear it. After he died and I asked the nurse if he could have it, and she found it for him. So now, every stitch I make, I think of him.
  • Megan Lee
    Saturday
    Megan Lee
    • Awwww!!!
  • Ann Chin
    Saturday
    Ann Chin
    • Grandma knows best. Now I know what we had to hold our hands out. I bought the wool that is not a "ball" type. But 8 inch wound up. It got all tangled up. Tomorrow, I will have to get my neighbour's daughter to do the same for me for my other two balls. I hardly did any computer work because blogger is being funny. I have done 5 inches . Very proud of my self.

      Son asks, what are you doing, knitting.Oh.

      Husband: What are you knitting?

      Me: baby blanket.

      Husband: who are you knitting for.

      Me: For myself.

      Husband: I thought you were knitting for some one.

      I didn't want to tell him.

      I finished knitting on Monday morning. I went to the hospital to give it to the NICU.I wanted to give the blanket to a living angel. I bought more wool to make more blankets. It's the wool virus that has captured me now.

      http://annkitsuetchin.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/neonatal-trust-auckland.html

       Once upon a time, before the computer virus captured me, I was more creative. I made sets of matching jackets, leggings, booties, bonnets and beanies. Now I only have the patience to knit baby blankets.










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4 comments:

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Oh darlin' this is the sweeties heartfelt post!!!

God bless you and your knittin' buddies in this venture.

Have yourself an amazin' week my friend!!! :o)

Unknown said...

what a great post, it's great to inspire sometimes,my Mom knits and crochet beautiful things, she tried to teach me, but I think I will need more time to create something simple :)

Chubskulit Rose said...

I don't know how to knit, maybe because I have never given an opportunity to learn it when I was young.

My RT entry

Carletta said...

You do lovely work Ann!